Mindichgate: if the smoke is coming from Bankova, then don’t look for the fire in your neighbor

Source: Author’s Facebook page

We say Mindich – but we mean Zelensky. Because in Ukrainian politics, a simple rule has long been in effect: if smoke is coming from Bankova Street, then look for the fire not from your neighbor.

The name of Timur Mindich, the president’s business partner, was officially mentioned for the first time in a report by the US Congress. And not in the section on cultural ties or an investment breakthrough, but in the context of large-scale corruption schemes. It is symbolic that what Ukrainian journalists have been talking about for years has now been recorded in black and white by American congressmen.

Of course, this is bad for Ukraine. Because every such line in the report is an additional argument for those who in Washington or Brussels are tired of explaining to their voters why their taxes should go to a country where “reforms” often exist only in presentations by the President’s Office. The US no longer gives weapons for free. But financial, institutional, and budgetary support is questionable. And the EU is carefully reading the same documents.

The most ironic thing is another. The same report states: Americans continue to help Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies. 150 detectives have undergone training under the guidance of FBI instructors. That is, the West is investing not in individuals, but in institutions. In detectives, not in “quarterly” friends.

And here an uncomfortable dissonance arises. Zelensky has been repeating for years that he is building a powerful anti-corruption infrastructure. But the Americans, who work directly with these structures, are well aware of the wiretapping in the private apartment of the investigator, the mysterious drone over the premises of the SAPO, and the systemic pressure on independent detectives. They do not learn the news from a telethon.

Therefore, when “Mindich” is mentioned in Congress, it is not about one businessman. It is about a system of personal responsibility. That in the eyes of partners, corruption has no underling surnames. And if someone thinks that they can hide behind a childhood partner or a longtime associate, such tricks do not work in Washington.

We say Mindich. And the world hears: Zelensky. And this is no longer an information attack by the opposition, but a dry text of an American report.

On the eve of the People’s Deputy from “European Solidarity” Oleksiy Honcharenko reported that American law enforcement agencies are participating in supporting anti-corruption investigations in Ukraine, in particular in cases related to the state-owned company “Energoatom”. Separately, this report to the US Congress mentions the business partner of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – Timur Mindich.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.

• Materials published in the “OPINIONS” section reflect the opinion of the author of the publication, who bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the information.
• The editorial staff of prm.ua may not share the opinions expressed in the author’s material.
• The owner of the webpage in the “OPINIONS” section is the author of the publication.